Embattled Tamarac commissioner: 'I won't resign'

TAMARAC — Faced with a slew of public corruption charges, City Commissioner Patte Atkins-Grad's incompetent-not-corrupt defense strategy worked. But now she faces the wrath of angry constituents and a growing list of hostile colleagues.

On Wednesday, City Commissioner Pam Bushnell formally joined the fray and asked Atkins-Grad to resign.

"It is beyond my comprehension how you can you sit at meeting after meeting just grinning," she said.

Atkins-Grad addressed the call for her resignation for the first time publicly Wednesday, declining to step down. She told Vice Mayor Harry Dressler, who had asked for her resignation two weeks before, that "I firmly reject your suggestion."

Atkins-Grad was acquitted by a jury on the charges of trading her votes for favors from a pair of developers. She was restored to office by the governor after a two-year suspension and came back to an openly hostile commission this month who have either ignored her or asked her to step down. The other two commission members who were involved in some way in the same scandal have remained silent.

Atkins-Grad, who is Jewish, referred to the comments made about her as "lashon ha-ra," a Hebrew term literally meaning "the evil tongue" but interpreted as "disparaging speech."

Lashon ha-ra, generally considered gossip that maligns a person's reputation, is prohibited in Jewish law, and as Atkins-Grad pointed out, is considered by rabbinic leaders to be akin to murder because it cannot be undone.

"Ms. Atkins-Grad, you took the felon's money and you didn't deny it. [When you were asked] how can you afford to buy your BMW, you lied. … You beat the rap. You took the money and you walked away from it."

In addition to the anger of her colleagues, Atkins-Grad faces a recall committee that is going door-to-door to collect signatures that could force a vote that would ask voters if she should keep her job. Supporters said they have about one-quarter of the signatures needed in round one. If the signatures are verified by the Broward Supervisor of Elections Office, organizers need to collect signatures a second time before a vote is called.

The entire process is anticipated to last about six months.

And if the recall drives lead to an election, it could be a first in Broward: Although there was a recall attempt in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea a few years ago, supporters couldn't get enough signatures to get the issue to a vote.